UK Volunteers Fly to Sierra Leone to Fight Ebola

22 Nov 2014

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — The British government says the first group of National Health Service volunteers has left for Sierra Leone, where they will work in Ebola treatment centers across the country.

The move is part of the recent deployment of international resources in Sierra Leone, where the World Health Organization has warned of an “intense” surge in cases.

The latest WHO figures show that Ebola is believed to have killed more than 5,400 people in the three West African countries hit hardest by the outbreak: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. More than 1,200 deaths have occurred in Sierra Leone.

Britain’s Department for International Development said more than 30 NHS staffers, including general practitioners and nurses, left Saturday for Freetown. More than 1,000 staffers have volunteered for the effort.